Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days

by Jake Knapp

FRIDAY Makeshift Research Lab • Two rooms. In the sprint room, the sprint team will watch a video feed of the interviews. You’ll need a second, smaller room for the actual interviews. Make sure the interview room is clean and comfortable for your guests. (p. 202) • Set up hardware. Position a webcam so you can see customers’ reactions. If your customer will be using a smartphone, iPad, or other hardware device, set up a document camera and microphone. • Set up video stream. Use any video-conferencing software to stream video to the sprint room. Make sure the sound quality is good. Make sure the video and audio are one-way only. Key Ideas • Five is the magic number. After five customer interviews, big patterns will emerge. Do all five interviews in one day. (p. 197) • Watch together, learn together. Don’t disband the sprint team. Watching together is more efficient, and you’ll draw better conclusions. (p. 218) • A winner every time. Your prototype might be an efficient failure or a flawed success. In every case, you’ll learn what you need for the next step. (p. 223) Five-Act Interview • Friendly welcome. Welcome the customer and put him or her at ease. Explain that you’re looking for candid feedback. (p. 204) • Context questions. Start with easy small talk, then transition to questions about the topic you’re trying to learn about. (p. 205) • Introduce the prototype. Remind the customer that some things might not work, and that you’re not testing him or her. Ask the customer...